Carmangay and area residents to fight Summerland CFO decision

Carmangay residents plan on appealing to politicians and Alberta Health Services following the decision of the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) to approve a new confined feeding operation (CFO) about six kilometres from the village.

In a letter dated Jan. 23, NRCB approval officer Andy Cumming informed the Hutterian Brethren of Summerland that its CFO application has been approved.

“Even if this CFO were to provide 200 jobs, I would still be against it,” said Stacey Hovde, Carmangay’s mayor. “It’s too close.”

Hovde says the wind blows from the southwest the majority of time, directly in line with where the CFO would be situated. The mayor, who has been reading studies about living near CFOs, is concerned about the potential effects on the health of residents – particularly those with compromised immune systems, as well as children and seniors – from the operation.

Hovde says the village needs to consult with local MLA David Schneider and MP Martin Shields about the NRCB’s decision. Hovde also hopes that AHS can overturn the decision.

Hovde points out the NRCB has not deemed Carmangay residents to be directly affected by the application, but he is hoping those neighbouring the approved CFO will appeal. The deadline for an appeal to be filed is Feb. 13.

Hovde says he was not surprised “at all” that the NRCB approved Summerland’s CFO application because “the NRCB has set up a parameter for their approval.”

The mayor wants the buffer zone between a CFO and nearby properties to expand.

The required minimum distance setback (MDS) from the CFO to the nearest is 804 metres for land zoned agriculture and 2,143 metres for villages, wrote Cumming. The MDS is a means of mitigating odour and other nuisance impacts from a CFO, he wrote.

“That said, people reside beyond the MDS may still experience odours and other nuisance impacts from time to time and, in some instances, those impacts may be more than trivial,” Cumming wrote. “However, in this case, the closest of these respondents is located more than three times the MDS for a hamlet, village, town or city from the proposed CFO. The farthest is more than 22 times this MDS.

“Some of the parties may experience some odours or other nuisance impacts when mature spreading takes place. However, the frequency of these exposures will likely be limited and of short duration.”

Cumming wrote that the health issues raised, which included concerns regarding asthma, airborne illnesses and chronic lung disease, were sent to AHS for comment.

AHS indicated that “it is unable to confirm that the concerns (raised about the proposed CFO) will cause issues.”